


interlude

by purplesealion2



Category: Football RPF, Liverpool RPF, Real Madrid RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-10 13:41:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2027190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplesealion2/pseuds/purplesealion2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nando shows up uninvited for Sergio’s birthday with a big suitcase and messes everything up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	interlude

**Author's Note:**

> This was written ages ago and recently edited.  
> At the time, Alonso had recently transferred to Real Madrid and Torres was in Liverpool for some time already.

When his cellphone rings, Sergio goes upstairs and closes the door for his bedroom.

Even though the only other person in the apartment is Iker – and they have no secrets. That call is not a secret; it’s just personal, it’s just… The silly smile Fernando brings to his face isn’t something he wants to share, not even with the person with whom he shares everything. (Especially not with him).

He presses the green button a little bit nervous, anxious.

“Hey you…” The long missed Spaniard’s voice says. It’s enough to make his heart miss a beat.

“Hey” He says back.

That’s all that comes to his mind at the moment, and it’s enough. Sergio prefers to be listening to all the sounds in that phone call. The slow but nervous breath, the almost sentences the guy mumbles.

It’s sad all he's getting is a phone call this year, maybe some late gift. He misses the time when he would hear his “happy birthday” as the clock biped midnight; when they’d make it the best day of their lives even before the sunrise, every year (perhaps once a week).

Much has changed and still he misses the days when being the happiest meant having Nando around.

“Happy birthday.” He hears to the voice at the cell phone but also somewhere else. It makes him turn around.

It’s not pure surprise: his golden boy is standing in the door he has just closed. And he has a bag on his hand, huge, not for a one night stand and there’s some undeniable redness in his eyes. Although there’s a big and honest smile in his lips.

Before he even considers it, he's moving forward. He just goes and hugs Nando and the tenderness of his touch tells how much he has missed him, how they can’t be apart again, not even for a second.

And it feels right just until he hears the door of the house slamming. Then, his heart freezes.

 

\--

 

Nando goes to a hotel that same afternoon. Sergio doesn’t even have to ask. The way their lips touched was enough. The blonde man wasn’t use to sense insecurity in it.

Also, the messed sheets didn't look like an invitation. There were clothes in the bedroom which certainly didn't belong to Sergio and when he took Nando downstairs for an uncomfortable small talk, the two glasses half full of wine were still in the same spot next to the couch. It felt like the shadow of Iker Casillas was everywhere.

Eventually Sergio got to be alone in his own apartment and the same feeling took over. He called Iker; a hundred times, to be honest. At some point he gave up of course, but only because next day they would meet at training and Iker wouldn’t have anywhere to run. However, if he was completely honest with himself, he had no idea what he had to say that was so important. It was mostly the feeling he had to _say something_ other than a really important thought to share.

With this on his mind and no clue on why he was doing that, he drove to Nando’s hotel.

The boy had come all the way up there from London, after all... He deserved some attention.

And it’s not a surprise when attention is found to mean passionately sex.

 

\--

 

The million times Sergio’s cell phone rang the day before were enough to make him go insane. And as the only call he's been waiting for was the only one he wouldn’t get, that is no exaggeration. At some point he decided to just turn it off since the keeper wouldn't call and that’s why he misses his own birthday party. Guti tried for him exactly 54 times to let him know they were supposed to meet at some fancy restaurant the blonde knew Sergio loved. But Sergio never got the message. He even drove off to his apartment and the man was nowhere to be found.

The worst part of it is that in the meantime Guti managed to convince Iker to show up at the dinner party. “You two can talk, then” he said. “It’ll be better than having this conversation at work”.

It was amazing by how rational Guti could be when it didn’t have anything to do with his own love life. Iker bought that shit, got ready and went to the damn restaurant feeling like a crushed small and insignificant bug. _Everybody_ was there. Asking, talking about Sergio, about Nando’s news, about the couple. Iker was mute.

And Sergio would never know how much it hurt.

 

\--

 

The big line on the newspaper over the kitchen table keeps catching his eyes. Sergio cleans up the small sink in the hotel flat, everything is messed up just as they've left it yesterday and reads the paper, even though he knows all there is about the subject.

A lot more than the AS seems to. Yet, the questions are pretty much the same for him.

How could golden boy just leave, like nothing mattered at all, and go back to Spain? What about his contract? What had happened to make him runaway? (And mostly: how was he supposed to adapt his whole life to the Spaniard’s presence once again _when he had done the same when the boy left_?)

He wants to beat up Nando for doing this. But mostly himself.

The really bad thing about Nando’s presence is that Sergio likes it. _Badly_.

That’s the thought that gets him back to bed.

“I made coffee”, he uses as a good morning and Nando mumbles thanks while opening his eyes.

The sweet taste of the drink in Nando’s mouth clears his mind for some time.

 

\--

 

“Hey, mate!” He hears Xabi’s voice calling him in the parking lot the next morning at training. He doesn’t really want to answer that but he has to. He has to fake he is alright and turns around trying out a smile. “Don’t go there”, the man says with a smirk.

Or maybe he doesn’t.

Xabi’s tone is enough to make it clear that the guy knows more than Sergio’s thought. He approaches the older man in the corner of the parking lot, running his hand in his hair nervously.

“You heard the news.”

“I’m surprised the reporters didn’t find Nando yet.”

Sergio wants to hide his face, to cry, and is pleased when Xabi hugs him. “I don’t know what to do.”

Xabi bites his lip before saying. Truth is he never wanted Nando in Spain as much as he does right now but he isn’t using this situation to achieve this. It’s Sergio, por Díos. And he likes Nando as well even if he has reasons not to. It’s not their fault how everything had took place. After all, they were just boys.

Therefore he gives Sergio the only advice he can.

“Tell the truth.”

 

\--

 

Sergio doesn't get it at first. He isn’t lying to anyone, he isn’t hiding anything (except Nando) and telling the truth was his usual goal. But then, when he meets Iker’s eyes in the locker room he knows what Xabi had meant.

It's obvious some truths he's said a hundred times already should be reminded. And that’s why he avoids everyone till he reaches Iker and holds his hand.

“I’m a mess.” He says. “Not right now, but usually that’s who I am. A mess. And I’m sorry I made you a part of this.” He takes a deep breath. “I _don’t know_ what to do, and I don’t know what I _want_ to do. Give me some time, and I promise I won’t be hurting you for too long, _I promise._ I just don’t want doubts once my decision is made.”

Iker nods. He doesn’t say anything. He is not sure what to say, or how to say it so he just nods and that’s pretty much all the conversation they have all day.

Guti tries to talk to Sergio, though he doesn’t succeed, and Sergio tries his best to be normal that day.

It doesn’t go like that. He can never hide his feelings.

 

\--

 

He buys Nando Chinese food that night. They sit at the bed in silence and it remains like that for a long time. Their eyes make a whole conversation with no words and when Sergio speaks it’s not exactly what Nando’s been waiting for.

“I tried to call you.” Sergio says. “Where is your phone?”

“At the airport’s trash.”

“Are you gonna tell me what happened?”

Nando doesn’t answer. He also avoids the look.

“You’re my best mate.” That’s all he says.

Sergio isn’t sure how much it has to do with his question but his guess it’s a lot. He’s wrong. Nando means that but that’s not the reason he had left Liverpool. Sergio has always being the best and it never changed how he felt about the club and his friends there.

It never changed his feelings for his captain.

 

\--

 

Sergio and Nando are lying on the bed. It’s not even close to the sunrise but Sergio is already awake. He is not sure he had slept at all. The room’s telephone rings and he answers it before it can wake Nando up as it is placed next to him.

“Hello.”

“Mr. Cervantes, there is _a lot of people here._ ” The girl sounds a bit panicked.

How great to have reporters in the middle of the night. Especially when you’re off your clothes next to the only person you shouldn’t be with right now.

“No interviews. ‘Night.” That’s all he says and after all, it’s not his problem. “We have company.”

Nando sighs and mumbles as he isn’t fully awake. “I’ll handle it in the morning.”

 

\--

 

When the sun comes up Sergio has already made coffee. He doesn’t have any clue how he is supposed to get off the hotel that day and missing training when Nando is in town would be _nothing good_ but he can’t think of any other way.

He calls Guti, then, and just because the guy knows how to handle this stuff.

“Forget it.” He hears the blonde saying. “You’re not gonna make it to training today. Just call your agent, tell him to fake some flu.”

“M’kay.” Sergio sighs. “No other way?”

“No! You don’t want to be seen there. Not after the pics they took at last training.” Sergio’s about to ask what pics but then he decides he’s got enough problems. He can deal with it later. “Calling Pelle is probably a good idea for you. So he won’t be too pissed.”

 

\--

 

“I made coffee.” Nando’s pleased to hear that again, even though a “Good morning, baby” would be better. He opens his eyes softly sitting on the bed. “We need to talk.”

Nando nods and Sergio hands him the cup of coffee. Despite the fact Sergio has said “we” he sits waiting for Nando to talk, as he is the only one who owes some explanation.

“I… Alex called me. We had lunch at her house and we talked, she asked me to go away. I did. Here I am. I didn’t honor my contract. I probably ruined my entire career and my marriage. I miss my kid and most of all, I just… Sergio, this is wrong.”

Sergio fights the urge to just hug Nando and tell him it’s gonna be alright because if he does so, he’ll be killing the principal chance it has to be. He had to lead Nando to do something, to get it right. He couldn’t help the boy runaway as much as he felt like doing just the same.

So no hugs, no tender touches. He holds his head high and says their sentences.

“You know you have to go back.”

Nando downs his head and cries. And that’s all the confirmation Sergio needs.

 

\--

 

It hurts a lot to know the reason Nando is there is also the reason he won’t stay. Steven Gerrard.

Sergio is not a child anymore. He won’t blame the man for every single thing going wrong in his life right now but Nando’s absence is his fault, there’s no way he can take it out of his mind.

Somehow, he’s glad the thing making them be apart is what makes Nando happy these days. That’s what matters the most.

“I’m gonna call Oll. Ask her to call your agent, he’ll know what to do.”

Nando nods. “I’m sorry.”

They both are.

 

\--

 

Sergio fights hard the urge to call Iker when he gets the phone. He just obeys his own order and call Oll glad to know she has already bought the tickets and is heading to the airport. She was always a woman of action and it scared him of how far she’d gone to help Nando. He thought he would be the only one in the job.

But since they’ve met he knew he could count on her and so did she. Thus, when she arrives at Spain they don’t have to say a word. They both sit in the bed with Nando and hand him the phone, the agent’s number already dialed.

“This... You two…” Nando is clearly trying to mean something though he doesn’t succeed.

“Fix your mess, golden boy.” Is what she says.

Nando obeys.

 

\--

 

When Nando is finally gone Sergio sits in his apartment in the dark. It’s all cleaned up due to the service of the building and yet everything makes him think of Iker.

A couple of days seem to be years of distance and everything he wants to say now can’t be put down in words so he sees himself starring down at his phone as it could help him somehow. The only thing it does is complete the call.

Iker answers almost immediately. “He’s gone” is what the keeper uses for a hello.

“He is.” Sergio agrees and it makes a tear fall down wetting his cheek.

“I thought he would stay.”

“He couldn’t. He had his contract and everything… He can’t stay in Spain.” He tries to cover the pain in his voice.

“I meant with you, Sergio.”

It wasn’t stupid to predict they could be together and apart at the same time. In fact, it had been like this for some time after the first time Fernando left, at least for Sergio, as he held back to the memories and didn’t let anyone in. They’ve overcome that with time, though. And going back isn’t something Sergio is willing to do.

That’s why Sergio understands Iker perfectly and doesn’t hurt much to say it again. “He is gone.”

“I’m sorry, Sese”, Iker says. It gets a smile from Sergio as he lies down in his couch facing the dark ceiling.

“You’re unbelievable, you know that?” He takes a moment before adding. “I’m the one to be sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Iker stays silent for a while as if he’s considering accepting Sergio’s apology. “It’s okay… We’ll be fine.”

“Do you want to come over?”

And everything falls back to its righteous place.


End file.
